1. NZFSA Claims Milk Safe for Drinking
   
   
2. New Cheese Plant Produces Own Power from Whey
   
   
3. Real California Milk Seal Now to Promote Its New Dairy Products
   
   
   

1. NZFSA Claims Milk Safe for Drinking
   
   According to Ms. Carole Inkster, Director of Food Standards, New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), consumers have been advised to keep drinking milk as a nutritious food, no matter whether it is A1 or A2, as there is no food safety issue with either type of milk. There had been dispute going on globally over the safety and nutrition benefits of the two milk formulations, wherein it was being said that products containing the proteins should be labeled with health warnings.
   
   The NZFSA alleges that Professor Boyd Swinburn’s 2004 review of the literature on possible benefits of A2 milk over A1 concluded that there is insufficient overall evidence that either milk has benefits over the other. However, it does note that further work is needed in this area to determine any causative relationships between types of milks and certain diseases.
   
   The report, Beta casein A1 and A2 milk and human health, examines whether some milk proteins might cause or protect against type 1 diabetes, heart disease, schizophrenia and autism.
   
   Ms. Carole Inkster said that Professor Swinburn’s review shows that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate benefits of one type of milk protein over another. She also notes that one of the reasons the review was initially commissioned was to determine whether health claims that were being made by the A2 Corporation were valid.
   
   NZFSA is concerned that the unsubstantiated claims being made do nothing more than scare some people away from a safe, nutritious and beneficial food.
   
   
   
2. New Cheese Plant Produces Own Power from Whey
   
   A new production plant for the french AOC Pays du Maroilles cheese uses its whey and waste water for the production of biogas.
   
   Aerobic fermentation of the by-products produces methane for generation of some 400 MWh of electricity per year. According to the cheese producers, this not only saves substantial power bills for the plant but also reduces the investment needed for treating the wastewater.
   
   Commissioned by the regional collective dairy, which uses milk from herds in the departments, Norde and I’Ainse, the new Pays du Maroilles plant has an annual production capacity for 70 tonnes of the strong-smelling orange Maroilles cheese plus another 130 tonnes of other local cheeses.
   
   Pays du Maroilles (45% fat) cheese is matured for around three months and is then formed into distinctive 13cm squares weighing around 800g each.
   
   
   
3. Real California Milk Seal Now to Promote Its New Dairy Products
   
   The popular icons for the California dairy industry, which have successfully promoted Real California Cheese through national advertising, are now going to promote nationally the full range of dairy products made with California milk including butter, ice cream and yoghurt.
   
   The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has recently announced that it is introducing the Real California Milk seal, which certifies that dairy products bearing the seal are made exclusively with California milk. The seal will begin appearing on packaging for California dairy products sold across the country in October.
   
   According to Mr. Stan G. Andre, CMAB Chief Executive Officer, “The California dairy industry has enjoyed tremendous success over the past two decades”. “California is already the nation’s leading milk producer and a growing supplier of dairy products. The seal supports this growing momentum and our research shows that consumers across the country want California food products,” Mr. Andre said, noting that the decision to introduce the seal grew from several years of industry research and discussions with distributors, retailers and consumers.